Redartz: Greetings, gang! Another Tuesday means it's time to grab a spot at the BitBA roundtable and fire up some fine discussion. The subject is open; and the stage is yours!
On my end, it's been a pretty typical week. Working, sometimes not working, and continuing the gradual selloff of comics. It's a slow process, especially as I continue to pick up the occasional book or stack here and there. Nonetheless, the general trend is towards a reduction in the total (with, admittedly, a corresponding increase in tpb's), I'll probably never part with all those old newsprint treasures, but plan to get it down to a modest, manageable number.
Sooo, that's about my story for now. What's up with you, and what's up for discussion?
25 comments:
It's the "dog days of summer" in the USA! This past Saturday was "National UK Lazy Day" in the UK (duh)!
Let's merge it all together and tell us about what we like to do on a Saturday afternoon in the summer time?
I had a summer question too so I might as well add it to Charlie's and get a twofer:
We all love the summer, don't we?...OR DO WE???
What things do you hate about summer?
Summer Saturday afternoons are for relaxing from summer Saturday morning shopping at the farmer's market and/or Saturday morning projects. The huge benefit of summer projects is that I have a reason for stopping around noonish on the excuse that, 'It's too hot.' I lived in Florida for a time, so I know that it's not, but for some magical reason -- which I will neither comprehend nor contest -- this actually works with she-who-must-be-obeyed. I take the respite to eat a nice lunch, read comics, and have a glorious siesta. Wake to coffee and chocolates, and then back to comics.
What do I hate about summer, Colin? Hiking. Seriously, not a fan in general, but add heat, humidity, mosquitoes, ticks, and chiggers to the mix, and it's a downright miserable experience. Also, barbecuing. Scrubbing the grill off from the last time, prepping the charcoal and the wood, standing over the heat in the heat. At what point is this supposed to pass from greasy tedium into fun?
Cheers!
Honestly, summer has evolved into my least-favorite season--
The heat and the humidity in the DC-area basin runs amazingly parallel to Florida's most of the time-- it's just awful.
If you walk a block or two downtown after, say, 10 a.m. you just need to be resolved to the fact that your business attire is gonna be as wet as gym-sweats after a work-out.
Summer Saturday afternoons FREQUENTLY have naps written all over 'em these days (well-- years--) at our house. Generally me on the living room or comic book room couch, and my wife sprawled in a hilariously-nap-specific, sidewise-across-our-bed repose upstairs. She has forever felt guilty about being so unproductive--- whereas I've never had a problem surrendering to my laziness-bone. . . heh. . .
HB
Good topic gents!
I'm kinda with HB, Summer has fallen to 4th. place. In those old school days, that long summer break gave good reason to love the season. But as a working adult, it just means going to work daily in searing heat and drenching humidity. Which, to answer Colin's question, is what I dislike about summer. Unrelenting, miserable heat and humidity (here along the Ohio, much like DC and Florida).
But, I do enjoy balmy summer evenings and starry summer nights. As for Saturday afternoons, I'll cheat and go with Sundays (since I work Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday is my Saturday). Naps are a plus, as are lazy comic reading sessions or watching a baseball game (and often dozing through half of that).
If it's too hot out I pretty much just sit around, trying to catch up on my reading, or maybe watch a soccer game on TV. As for what I hate, I'm with Selenarch on mosquitoes, although there haven't been as many around here this year as there normally are.
I'll sound silly, but I always associate summer with comic book annuals, comics found in hotel/tourist gift shops and comic spinner racks in stores while on vacation in Cape Cod/New Hampshire/Maine/Vermont. I grew up in Braintree, Mass, so there were only two nearby places to buy comics (Rosies, Hennessey's News) and they didn't carry every title. But, while on short and long vacations I could usually find unfamiliar titles, annuals, etc. This was my priority while on vacation.
Even though, as a transplanted US Left-Coaster, I'll probably never get used to the humidity here in Croatia, I still like summers for a number of reasons - one being that from somewhere just past the middle of July until about August 15, Zagreb really becomes really placid, because that's when most people take their vacation, and most of them leave town. It's really nice: no crowds, no traffic jams, etc.
My ideal summer weekend afternoon activity is usually kicking back in our yard in a lawn chair with my feet up, reading in the shade.
Given I grew up among the sand dunes of Lake Michigan, I am quite content to while away a summer day on the beach. A little reading, a little swimming... I still remember walking to the beach on a Sunday morning in 1971 (before church!) with the old man and siblings and picking up Spidey 100!
In the ideal world, cap it off with some oysters and a beer or two which was how I spent my Saturdays living in the Florida panhandle about 35 years ago!
Ha! I hate grilling too, for the reason mentioned above. And, I hate walking the streets and having exhaust cling to my humidified body!
By the way, Rick, it's not silly at all to associate summers with comic book annuals. It's something that I and several others have mentioned here - and at this blog's spiritual predecessor, the Bronze Age Babies - on many an occasion.
To this day, even though I've passed the half-century mark, every year when summer approaches, I usually feel this bit of joy that's a remnant of that childhood excitement over a few carefree months away from school and tons of unfettered comics reading, with annuals as the icing on the cake.
Rick-- I was just about to echo your summer annual (and summer comic reading) sentiment, and then saw that Edo sneaked his in first-- ha! In much more pleasantly temperate SW Michigan (not far at all from CH47's haunts), before global warming had started to alter the climate too much, a summer afternoon in the shade on a lawn chair with a stack of comics was a frequent pastime (once the yard had been mowed, I hastily add---). (Man, I hated mowing the yard, tho. . . )
Edo, as an aside, I think your occasional references to everyday life in Zagreb are a terrific, yet subtle, reinforcement of Harper Lee's lovely observation- via Scout- that "there's only one kind of folks- folks." To TOOOOOOOO many people in my own extended circle-- particularly rural southern family, and the folks from my little Michigan town- Croatia would be seen as this little war-torn country from the 80's or 90's with an unknown culture that might as well be from Alpha Centauri. Not like "us", as it were. It's so much better to be reminded that there is no Other. We're all "us", y'know?
HB
May I echo Edo and HB regarding the annuals? Yes Rick, those special Giants were a big summer treat. It was always enticing, seeing the house touting the upcoming Annual releases.
And HB- well said. Great comment about hearing stories from Edo (and any others out there). It just serves as a reminder, regardless of geography, gender, politics or whatever categorization you choose, there is more we have in common than some might think...
Rats. Should read "house ads" above...
HB, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but it's interesting to hear that there's still people Stateside that have that '90s-era association of Croatia with war. It seemed to me like over the past 15 or so years that impression had been largely replaced with an image as a 'sea, sun and great vacation' spot (personally, I've noticed that it pops up quite a bit in cooking/culinary adventure shows) and also, thanks to Dubrovnik, it's linked to Game of Thrones, and the Last Jedi, as well.
Thankfully British summers don't have the "unrelenting, miserable heat and humidity" that Red mentioned - in fact, last weekend felt quite autumnal with wet and windy weather. When we do get warm weather everybody exaggerates how "hot" it is. Nobody buys air-conditioning because it would be a total waste of money.
Colin J-- My wife and I have been enjoying episodes of Monty Don's "Big Dreams; Small Spaces" on Netflix, and I'll tell ya, I am perpetually amazed to see folks doing hard outdoor work in late July/early August. . . often wearing a sweater or long-sleeves. And lordy-- at least a third of the episodes have the long-scheduled "Grand Unveiling" taking place in the rain. Rain is like an uncredited character of its own throughout that series. . .
(NOT a gardener, me, by any stretch-- but my wife is utterly, blissfully devoted to it as a hobby. She's adorable with it. . . )
HB
HB, it's raining again today. May was mostly warm and dry, June mostly wet and windy, July mostly dry again and now August has been mostly raining so far.
Red, I guess you've heard about the dinosaur excavations in Wyoming?
On the subject of air-conditioning, does anybody have a/c at home? Your descriptions of the heat and humidity (including Edo in Croatia) sound horrible so how do you cope at home? If you do have air-conditioning is it expensive to run?
Backing up what Colin's said; right here, it's just after 5 pm and it's currently 60 degrees, with ice cold rain pouring from the skies.
Colin- yes, I've heard about the Wyoming " Jurrasic Mission". Really stoked about it. The sponsoring Indianapolis Children's Museum is about a 2 hour drive from me. I've been there several times in the past, and anticipate another visit to see what they find. Also cool that it's a cooperative effort with your UK paleontologists.
As for air conditioning, yes, most folks in our region have it. And that's a blessing, especially after a hot day outside. And it doesn't really cost any more than the heat in the winter, and if you put your utility bill on a budget, you never really feel the pinch!
Hi Colin,
Yep, A/C is common in the hot climes of the USA. You may not find it in the north east or north west, though, since it is cooler.
We tend to use natural gas in the USA for our heating needs e.g., water, clothes dryer, heated air for winter heat. We don’t use radiators any more. For winter heating, gas is burned releasing heat, since it’s a very basic exothermic reaction, which heats metal. Then air is blown over the heated metal and continues onward through household ductwork.
A/C, however, is an endothermic reaction and requires electricity to run a compressor which compresses a gas that then becomes cold as it expands. Air is blown over the chilled metal and onward throughout the house.
The same duct work and blower are used for both heat and A/C.
As a rule, operating the A/C is more expensive simply b/c there is an incremental electricity cost required to run that compressor. This “rule” varies depending upon how much heating / cooling one has to do in the season, the cost of gas vs. electricity, and also the extra cost of purchasing and installing a whole-house air conditioner for an average home of around $2 - $4,000.
Now what is interesting is how old homes, built prior to forced air being used to heat a home (i.e., old homes with radiators) try to implement A/C since there is no duct work in the house. Oh boy…
Does that help? Cheers mate!
Oh Colin J-- I blurted out a bit of a guffaw at your innocent query on whether any of us had AC over here-- oh golly. It's just a given 'round these parts. It was either here (DC) or in Baltimore where slumlords recently received a mandate to provide their tenants with working AC as a basic condition of habitability. Like plumbing and heat. How on earth did people exist in Southern cities in earlier times??
And My mom is from northwestern Arkansas-- and we visited their little, ancient family farm with its shot-gun house floorplan, no indoor latrine (an ancient outhouse--- yes!), and only a couple of little electric fans in the bedrooms. The heat was always like an extra guest at the dinner table or hangin' around the by the doorway.
I'm told people acclimate, but I just don't know. . .
Those grandparents later moved into a house in town that didn't have any central heat or air-- BUT they installed a HUGE monster of an AC unit in their front room which effectively cooled the whole house from that one spot. It was about the size of 6 average window units, and looked and sounded like a jet engine. With an air-blast to match. And I would park in the unused recliner right next to it and read newspaper comics for hours, rather than go outside in the 105+ heat that was so common. So hot, it would kill small critters on the sidewalk if they stayed on it too long. .
HB
I like the summer, but I hate that heat.
Thanks for all the information about air-conditioning and especially your detailed description of heating and cooling methods, Charlie - fascinating stuff!
Colin - I suspect HB (just above) touched on a subject that all of us "older" dudes could comment on... the crazy ways folks started trying to air condition their homes, roughly beginning in the 1960s, when window units became available.
My folks had one in the kitchen and then a series of fans that would try to push the air along into the bedrooms, thru a short hallway. I guess it worked if you imagined it so, LOL!
Also, I think I understand that in the UK you still use radiators for heating? At least, I hear a butt-load of adds on UK's Talk Sport for firms that can fix radiators so I make the leap, lol. Radiated heat is generally considered superior for comfort and humidity control. The forced air heating I described above requires us to add humidity to the air o/wise the house really is too, too dry... (Maybe a future blog on dry skin in the winter, LOL???)
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